Nickelodeon announces Spongebob Squarepants is Gay

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.tmz.com/2020/06/13/spongebob-squarepants-gay-lgbtq-pride-month-nickelodeon/

https://twitter.com/Nickelodeon/status/1271795092391682048

SpongeBob SquarePants' sexuality has entered the chat -- and lo and behold, the Bikini Bottom dweller is, as many suspected for years, gay.

Nickelodeon officially made the reveal Saturday in a tweet shouting out Pride month (June), and attaching photos of three of their canon characters as a clear indicator that they're all part of the LGBTQ+ community ... but without actually saying it outright.


The studio writes, "Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month 🌈.⁣" All of the characters -- which include Sponge, Schwoz Schwartz from 'Henry Danger,' and Korra from the 'Avatar' spin-off show 'Legend of Korra' -- are featured in a rainbow color background, further signaling they are, in fact, part of the community

Interestingly enough, Spongebob's creator, Stephen Hillenberg said that the talking yellow sponge was asexual.

[John Dule]

I really do hate the way that companies relentlessly try to piggyback off of social causes. If the majority of the country were Neo-Nazis, they would've said that Spongebob came from pure Aryan descent and that Mr. Krabs was a money-grubbing Jew. They have no principles; all they care about is appeasing a slim majority of the public in order to get them to consume product.

[It’s so Joever]

That’s not possible in the way we think, sea sponges don’t reproduce/experience gender in the exact same way as humans (or most animals)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge#Sexual

Most sponges are hermaphrodites (function as both sexes simultaneously), although sponges have no gonads (reproductive organs). Sperm are produced by choanocytes or entire choanocyte chambers that sink into the mesohyl and form spermatic cysts while eggs are formed by transformation of archeocytes, or of choanocytes in some species. Each egg generally acquires a yolk by consuming "nurse cells". During spawning, sperm burst out of their cysts and are expelled via the osculum. If they contact another sponge of the same species, the water flow carries them to choanocytes that engulf them but, instead of digesting them, metamorphose to an ameboid form and carry the sperm through the mesohyl to eggs, which in most cases engulf the carrier and its cargo.[54]

The concept of gay/straight isn’t something that really applies to spongebob so this is just impossible.
Now if they said Sandy was a lesbian....

Although funny enough, the creators of Spongnebob were saying the opposite a couple of decades ago.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/ew.com/article/2002/10/01/spongebob-gay/%3famp=true

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Gotta hand it to them, to stay in the zeitgeist they are attributing to a walking fry cook space sponge profoundly human concepts.
This has to have been focus-grouped.

[Lourdes]

https://twitter.com/TUENEMIGOEFRAIN/status/1271906281784311810

lmao

[PSOL]

Canon disproves this considering that Spongebob shows brief attraction to a mermaid in the first movie, and then no one else later. He’s either Asexual or has a weak libido.

This is really pathetic and weak pandering considering how late they are doing this to get in with the times. Arthur already has gay recurring characters I believe and cartoons like Steven Universe or Star Vs. have already have them as major characters years ago. The people running Nickelodeon are both out-of-touch and cowards to not introduce a new IP fitting in with the times.

[Old Man Willow]

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

Canon disproves this considering that Spongebob shows brief attraction to a mermaid in the first movie, and then no one else later. He’s either Asexual or has a weak libido.

The show's creator, Stephen Hillenburg, said years ago that SpongeBob is "almost asexual", so it's not as if Nick are retconning anything really. Anyways, one can be only 98% attracted to people of your same sex/gender and almost no one would claim that they aren't really gay, so I don't know why it can't be the same for asexuals, including animated sponges

[Progressive Pessimist]

I really do hate the way that companies relentlessly try to piggyback off of social causes. If the majority of the country were Neo-Nazis, they would've said that Spongebob came from pure Aryan descent and that Mr. Krabs was a money-grubbing Jew. They have no principles; all they care about is appeasing a slim majority of the public in order to get them to consume product.

While that usually tends to be true in many circumstances, Spongebob has always been implied to be gay or at least perceived of that way by many. This is a little different than Dumbledore or LeFou from the live-action Disney 'Beauty and the Beast' where that news comes right the f*** out of nowhere for no real reason. This actually feels appropriate, perhaps similarly unnecessary, but f*** it; why not? I'm fine with it here.

[jaymichaud]

I really do hate the way that companies relentlessly try to piggyback off of social causes. If the majority of the country were Neo-Nazis, they would've said that Spongebob came from pure Aryan descent and that Mr. Krabs was a money-grubbing Jew. They have no principles; all they care about is appeasing a slim majority of the public in order to get them to consume product.

Woke capitalism at work.

[Mr. Smith]

Canon disproves this considering that Spongebob shows brief attraction to a mermaid in the first movie, and then no one else later. He’s either Asexual or has a weak libido.

This is really pathetic and weak pandering considering how late they are doing this to get in with the times. Arthur already has gay recurring characters I believe and cartoons like Steven Universe or Star Vs. have already have them as major characters years ago. The people running Nickelodeon are both out-of-touch and cowards to not introduce a new IP fitting in with the times.

The Loud House (aka Nick's second cash-cow franchise) literally has the main character's bestie raised by two Dads.

Anyway, stomping on asexuality is hardly in good faith either. And given how childish SB has been, I always saw enforcing any kind of orientation as defeating the purpose of Spongebob. Now if Sandy were lesbian, or Squidward were gay...that'd make some sense.

@PP: Did you see how LeFou was following Gaston around in the original? And as for Dumbledore, did you read his history with Grindelwald in book 7? Both of those have more explanation than this.

[7,052,770]

Fake news. Seriously. This was the Tweet in question. Nothing indicates Spongebob is gay, rather than an ally.

https://twitter.com/Nickelodeon/status/1271795092391682048

[T'Chenka]

How do you enjoy sexual activity / arousal at all when your penis is a sponge? Please don't answer, this post is intended to be rhetorical.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

How do you enjoy sexual activity / arousal at all when your penis is a sponge? Please don't answer, this post is intended to be rhetorical.

I've found a documentary SpongeKnob SquareNuts
that answers this very important question, apparently square giant sponges have surprisingly human-looking penises

[obviously NSFW, probably NSFL]

[Free Bird]

I could see the tweet meaning he's Ace or an ally (but to who?) but I'm honestly not shocked. Viacom has been diving hard into the Woke Olympics for several years now to get people to consume product.

[dead0man]

yeah, this isn't quite the pandering the "boys will be boys" ad from Gillette last year was.

[The Dowager Mod]

And now Mr Krabs can't fire him for it.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Fake news. Seriously. This was the Tweet in question. Nothing indicates Spongebob is gay, rather than an ally.

https://twitter.com/Nickelodeon/status/1271795092391682048

Well, Korra is in there and she's canonically gay, or at least bisexual. I could understand the mix up.

But I also want to address the whole asexual versus homosexual discussion, even if this conversation is mostly over. To my understanding can't someone be asexual and still want to pursue non-sexual relationships with people, same-sex or otherwise? Sexuality is a bit more complicated than being defined in such cut-and-dry ways.

Though to further complicate things, Spongebob is for sure asexual when it comes to reproduction like real sponges. I remember that one episode where he showed that he can reproduce through budding, of course Spongebob canon is always pretty loose.

[Mexican Wolf]

But I also want to address the whole asexual versus homosexual discussion, even if this conversation is mostly over. To my understanding can't someone be asexual and still want to pursue non-sexual relationships with people, same-sex or otherwise? Sexuality is a bit more complicated than being defined in such cut-and-dry ways.

Absolutely, it's possible to be a homo-, hetero-, or biromantic asexual in a non-sexual relationship with other people.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

The creators word is final... spongebob is asexual

[Blue3]

Asexual is part of LGBTQIA+, and part of Pride.

[MarkD]

Snagglepuss will always be the first.

[John Henry Eden]

Y'all fell for TMZ clickbait that Slanders Spongebob's character

[Nightcore Nationalist]

[7,052,770]

Can we get a mod to change the inaccurate, false title?